A Queens grand jury indicted an Ozone Park man for abducting an 11-year-old girl in Forest Park and sexually assaulting her before the victim’s father intervened in May.
Teddy Moussignac, 44, of 102nd Street, was arraigned Friday in Queens Supreme Court on a seven-count indictment charging him with kidnapping, assault, two counts of sexual assault in the first degree, and other related crimes.
According to the charges, on May 19, the youngster was riding her bicycle near Victory Field at around 7 p.m. with her father nearby. When the child turned off the main path, Moussignac jumped out of some bushes and allegedly grabbed the child off her bicycle, covered her mouth and nose, and then threatened to kill her if she screamed. Moussignac allegedly dragged the girl deeper into the woods, groped her, pushed her face, and punched her in the thigh. The victim sustained bruising and swelling to her face and scratches to her arms. The girl’s father saw his daughter’s bike on the path and yelled out, which startled Moussignac, who then released the girl.
The father and daughter ran back to the Victory Field section of the park and called the police. When officers from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill responded to the 911 call, they picked up the father and daughter and conducted a canvas of the park until they spotted Moussignac, who was taken into custody. The young girl was treated for minor injuries at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
“This is every parent’s nightmare. A father was accompanying his daughter on a bike ride in the park when she was grabbed and assaulted,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “As alleged, the father startled the defendant as he was attacking the child, and he later pointed the defendant out to police.”
The investigation was conducted by members of the 102nd Precinct under the overall supervision of Captain Pratima B. Maldonado.
“The NYPD’s quick action led to the defendant’s apprehension, and we thank them,” Katz said.
Moussignac was additionally charged with forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. The DA’s office requested Moussignac be remanded into custody without bail, but Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris continued bail from his criminal court arraignment at $100K cash and $450K bond and $450K partially secured bond, with the addition of electronic monitoring and passport surrender. Moussignac was ordered to return to court on July 11. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
